Self Advocacy: What it is, Why It Matters and How to Advocate Authentically for Yourself

Event: Register now for our third Career Accelerator Event: Amplify (13th Sept)

If you know that being more visible, standing out and being rewarded and recognised for your contribution is necessary to advance your career, but is something you’re shying away from or not finding time for, this event is a must for you to attend.

Join Kate and Fiona and our incredible Core Confidence community and get clear about what you want, how to articulate your value and learn strategies to be more visible, get noticed and be seen, heard, recognised and rewarded.

Click here to secure your place for this high energy, interactive workshop that will resource you to speak up and stand out in 2024.

Coaching Client Story: The power of self-advocacy

Tegan was frustrated (she was actually feeling really p**d off!). Despite putting in a ton of work to lead the project team that successfully rolled out a suite of new systems across the whole business, she’d missed out on an internal promotion that she thought for sure was hers. Somehow, her key stakeholders had promoted Teagan’s colleague Dave, who was a nice enough guy, but from Teagan’s perspective did not have the depth of experience or knowledge in the role or the business that she possessed.

Teagan couldn’t understand how she’d been overlooked for this promotion; she thought her work spoke (very loudly) for itself. She was relied on to deliver high quality outcomes, to get projects across the line on time and on budget and to keep her team on track and motivated. Although she was confident in her skills, capabilities and experience and the value she contributed to the organisation, Teagan was cautious about how much she talked about this, worrying about being seen as arrogant or big-noting herself. Whenever Tegan received recognition or praise, she was quick to transfer that to the team, rarely owning her strengths or leadership impact.

Tegan knew she was ready and capable of bigger roles with more responsibility, yet it seemed like she was invisible to key decision makers in the organisation. When she joined the Acts of Confidence (AOC) program, she knew she had to speak up and advocate for herself but didn’t know how to do that in a way that felt genuine and not self-serving.

As she worked through the modules Tegan had several ‘aha’ moments;

1. She gained clarity (AOC #1 Get Clear and make decisions) about her career goals and why it was so important to advocate for this with various stakeholders,
2. She did the work to Articulate and share her value (AOC #2) so she had good language to communicate her achievements and strengths with impact and importantly
3. She challenged some old beliefs and assumptions about how to navigate career progression during AOC #3 Ask for what you want, speaking up and sharing why she was ready for and deserved a more senior role.

Within two months of finishing the program Tegan had been shortlisted for a fantastic opportunity and while she was nervous about owning her achievements and advocating for her suitability for the role, she was confident that she had all the tools and support to put forward a great case for the promotion. And strangely it all felt so much easier than she’d imagined before the program. Once she’d realised that it was her responsibility to make sure that the right people knew about the value and contributions she was making in the organisation, she found they were more willing to sponsor and advocate for her as well. Tegan secured the promotion; is doing great work and now role modelling for others the importance of self-advocacy within the workplace.

Need to step into the driver’s seat when it comes to achieving your career goals? Find out how the Acts of Confidence Program can help you get clear about who you are, what you want, where you want to go and create your plan to get there. Book a Confidence Breakthrough Call to find out more today.

August's Deep Dive: Self Advocacy: What it is, Why It Matters and How to Advocate Authentically for Yourself

This month’s deep dive is an important topic that is rarely given the attention it deserves. Learning how to advocate for yourself and your career is an essential life and leadership skill, and one we focus on in the Acts of Confidence Program.

What Self Advocacy is and Why It Matters

Self-advocacy is the ability to clearly articulate who you are, what you stand for, the impact you want to have, and the difference you'll make. It's about knowing yourself and owning your value which sounds simple, but in practise can feel hard and require significant effort. It's about confidently expressing who you are and what you aspire to achieve.

Read the full blog to learn the key elements of what it takes and why it matters, including empowerment, visibility and leadership.

Self-advocacy is an essential and powerful leadership capability that resources you to achieve your career potential and goals. It eliminates the frustration of being passed over for promotions and opportunities and gives you the tools to go further, faster when you leverage the support and help of others.

What Gets in the Way

In our experience, the most common roadblocks when it comes to women advocating for themselves and their careers are:

• A belief that the work should speak for itself: That it will be seen, valued, appreciated, and rewarded and that the work should be enough (i.e. you shouldn't have to advocate for yourself).
• Lack of clarity: Not knowing what to say or how to say it (Act of Confidence #3 Ask for what you want). This is a skill most of have to learn, and equally we have to unlearn the notion that self-advocacy is something negative or undesirable.
• Self-Doubt: Questioning if you’re good enough and fearing the consequences if perhaps you’re not.
• Discomfort: Feeling uncomfortable being in the spotlight and fear of being judged or seen as self-promoting.
• Fear of rejection: Worrying about what others will think and the possibility that when you do ask the answer will be no.

Read the full blog to access the deeper layers of how to self-advocate for individuals and leaders.

How to Self-Advocate for Individuals

Gain Clarity

• Understand your value proposition
• Get creative: brainstorm and journal on your accomplishments and strengths
• Refine and test your message

Master the Inner Game

• Acknowledge your fears
• Address internal barriers
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Take (Imperfect) Action

• Leverage small acts of confidence
• Gain feedback from trusted colleagues, a leader or mentor
• Adopt a growth mindset: Be willing to get it wrong and learn

How Leaders Can Support Team Members to Self-Advocate

You may have noticed or seen that many women have been conditioned to be self-deprecating and are less likely to self-advocate when it comes to their own needs and career goals. This is why leaders and mentors have a particularly powerful role to play. Your active support and encouragement of female team members to practice sharing their successes and achievements makes a huge difference and here are just a few ways you can support them to do this.

• Coaching: Ask good questions
• Find opportunities: Sponsorship and mentoring
• Role modelling: Share your won knowledge and experiences

Conclusion

Self-advocacy is not just about speaking up for yourself; it's about understanding your value and communicating that effectively. By mastering the inner game, gaining clarity, and taking action, you can eliminate the frustration and resentment of being overlooked, be more visible to decision makers and access more career progression opportunities. Leaders play a crucial role in fostering a culture of self-advocacy by coaching, providing opportunities, and role modelling this behaviour.

If you’d like to learn how to advocate for yourself, book a clarity breakthrough call. To read the full blog click here.

If you’re a leader who’d like to support a team member to increase their self advocacy skills, feel free to reach out at info@coreconfidence.com.au.